Etymologically
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renew

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 22:03. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ɹɪˈnjuː/[1]
  • US: /ɹɪˈnju/, /ɹɪˈnu/[1]

Etymology

It is renewen,[2][3][4] formed from English re- + new,[5][6][7] on the Middle English verb newen "to resume, revive, renew",[8][3][2] after Latin renovō (“to renew”) and Anglo-Norman renuer.[5][9][10] Etymonline calls it a Latin-Germanic hybrid.[8] English earlier had renovel in the same sense.[5][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

To make something new or as good as new again, to restore to freshness or youth: before 1382, in the Wycliffite Bible,[5][3] which also has the senses "to restore a custom or state of things" and "to say again, repeat".[5]

Semantic evolution

The Wycliffite translators also used the verb for spiritual rebirth, about 1384,[5] and in the reflexive, to take on fresh life, before 1398.[5] The sense "to resume an activity after a pause" dates from about 1387, in Trevisa,[5] and "to begin again" without an object from 1520.[5] To re-enact a law is recorded from about 1400, to reaffirm a promise or vow from before 1464, and to regain one's strength from 1481, in Caxton.[5] Etymonline dates the sense "to be restored, flourish once more" to the early 15th century.[8] Johnson (1755) defined it as "to renovate; to restore the former state", quoting Shakespeare's line "That did renew old Æson".[11] Today it is used above all for extending the validity of a licence, lease or subscription and the loan of a library book.[12][7]

Timeline

  • a1382 – to make new again; to restore a custom; to repeat.[5]
  • c. 1384 – to cause to be spiritually reborn.[5]
  • a1387 – to resume an activity.[5]
  • c. 1400 – to re-enact a law.[5]
  • a1464 – to reaffirm a promise.[5]
  • 1481 – to regain one's strength.[5]
  • 1520 – to begin again.[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To begin again or take up again after a break: The two sides renewed their talks in the spring.
  2. To say or promise again; to reaffirm: She renewed her offer of help.
  3. To extend the period for which a licence, lease, contract or subscription is valid; also to extend the loan of a library book.
  4. To make new or fresh again; to restore or revive: A week by the sea renewed his strength.
  5. To replace something worn out or used up with a fresh supply.
  6. To give new spiritual life to; to regenerate.

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  11. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  12. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins